UK Athletics fined £350,000 over death of Paralympic shot putter at training facility
A judge at the Old Bailey fined UK Athletics £350,000 with £44,000 costs after hearing how a paralympic athlete died when equipment fell on him at a training ground in east London.
Shot putter Abdullah Hayayei died when the metal cage collapsed while he was preparing for the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships.
He previously represented the United Arab Emirates in the javelin and shot put at the Rio Paralympics.
Judge Richard Marks KC described Mr Hayayei’s death as “tragic, untimely and entirely preventable”.
He also ordered 175 hours’ community service for UKA’s former head of sport Keith Davies, 79, after hearing he was responsible for equipment being installed with vital base plates missing.
The court heard how strong winds collapsed the cage and Mr Hayayei died from head injuries after being struck by a heavy metal bar.
The athlete was a 36-year-old wheelchair user living with cerebral palsy.
The court heard his widow Badriah say his death left her alone with five young children.
UK Athletics pleaded guilty to corporate manslaughter at a previous hearing in February. Mr Davies admitted breaching health and safety legislation at the same hearing.
The investigation and legal process following Mr. Hayayei’s death took almost a decade to complete.
Police said their investigation involved years of meticulous work by detectives who uncovered photographs from nearly a dozen athletics events where the same cage was used by UK Athletics officials. They showed that restraints were not used to secure the equipment.
Sentencing, Judge Marks said Mr Hayayei’s death was an accident “waiting to happen” sooner or later.
Earlier in the hearing, Prosecutor John Price KC told the court that in the years following the incident UKA had tried to hold Mr Davies responsible for the athlete’s death and had even “tried to blame” the ground in Newham.
He later described a statement submitted by UKA as “an utterly worthless document prepared by a national sporting body and a document that should be ashamed”.
The judge sentencing UKA said it was “very repulsive” but accepted that it was a “stance” adopted by the previous executive team.
It was rejected by the current leaders of the organization, who expressed “sincere regret”.
He said UKA was essentially a “club of passionate members” and aimed to develop elite athletes and the sport at grassroots level.
It said the organization had a turnover of £13.8 million in 2025 and predicted a loss of £400,000. He gave UKA six years to pay the penalty in installments.
In a statement, UK Athletics said it was “deeply sorry” and that “significant changes” had been made to security and management.
“While nothing can undo what happened, there is a determined focus on learning from these events and implementing stronger standards and safeguards in athletics,” UK Athletics said.
“We respectfully accept today’s decision of the court and are determined to continue this work with the seriousness and responsibility this case requires.”
